Joco notebook: Aquinas girls to play St. Teresa’s for Mo-Kan soccer title

St. Thomas Aquinas High School soccer coach Craig Ewing says it never takes much to get his girls excited about facing a storied program like St. Teresa’s Academy.

These days, it’s been even easier, given the fact the two teams sit at No. 2 (St. Teresa’s) and 3 (Aquinas) in the Student Sports FAB 50 poll.

The two teams will play in the Mo-Kan Championship at 1 p.m. on Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“We’ve had a lot of good teams and they’ve had a lot of good teams, but I can’t remember a matchup quite like this where you have two teams that are that highly recognized at the time,” Ewing said. “It’s a big deal for Kansas City to get this kind of recognition for a game.”

Aquinas, which won the Kansas Class 5A state championship the past four years, has started this season 4-0, with victories against Gardner Edgerton, Liberty and Lee’s Summit North. The Saints are led by junior forward Jamie Kutey, who became the first girl in Kansas to be selected as an All-American as a sophomore and who is already committed to Marquette.

Hawks take aim

By now, the Olathe East softball team is used to high-pressure off-seasons. The Hawks have won back-to-back Kansas Class 6A state championships and, after opening day was delayed by the weather, they’re ready to get back out to defend their title.

“We’re really excited about our potential, and the girls have been working their tails off,” Eagles coach Jeff Hulse said. “I’ve got an experienced team back and we are ready to make our mark.”

The Hawks have eight seniors on this year’s squad — six have already signed letters of intent to play in college. Two-time Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year Allison Stewart leads the group with a .487 batting average and 42 RBIs. She also had a 0.39 ERA for the Hawks, who went 24-1 last season.

Rivals raise funds

St. James Academy and Bishop Miege combined forces to raise $6,517 to fight childhood cancer through their Strike Out Cancer event last Saturday.

All proceeds went to the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which funds more than 375 pediatric cancer research projects nationally.

The event was organized by Emma Blowey, Anne Marie Gartner, Macie Heller and Mara Kubicki, who started Lemon Clubs at their respective schools to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand. The baseball teams from St. James and Bishop Miege started the day with a mini-clinic for children, and the C, junior varsity and varsity teams all took part in competition.

There was also a silent auction.

GLVC Pitcher of the Week

Shawnee Mission West graduate Preston Felgate, who plays baseball at William Jewell College, was selected the Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher of the week.

He pitched 10 innings in a 12-inning, 1-0 shutout against Southern Indiana on Saturday. He allowed just one hit, struck out six batters and walked three batters. He dropped his ERA to 1.42 for the season.